And so here I am
by Precipice of Radiance
Summary: AU: Kise-based; Kise ends up injuring his leg during winter cup, ending up taking modeling full time as a distraction. Now 22, he finds himself at an impasse and bored with his life as it is. Both work and love lives. It sucks being hung up on someone. Things change with good time though, of course. Slowly. Rated M for language and future shenanigans wink wonk
1. Chapter 1

"And here I am again on a Friday night, alone at home and no one to go to," he spoke to his walls. ___Oh, if only walls could talk._ "Ryouta, you just have the worst luck with anyone." Single. Again.

He had had a plethora of lovers, male, female, confused types, anyone, but it just never panned out. Ever. The model was beginning to get it set in his head that perhaps he was just going to be one of those guys whom just never was going to settle down. He was going to be a swinger for the rest of natural life. And he was only twenty-two at this point! What a way to go, already choosing the single life at such a young age. He truly felt pathetic.

"To think that I would be able to get anyone I wanted though, honestly," he fell sideways onto his couch and blew at the tendrils of gold that had fallen onto his face- "Though that's probably the problem, isn't it."

And had been for nearly ten years.

No one wanted to get to know Ryouta, no. They wanted to bask in the fame that was Kise Ryouta, the famed, upper echelon model that was known world wide for his perfectly flawless appearance. From middle school on, that was his life. Sure, at first it was a hobby and it had been for a while before certain circumstances prohibited from playing basketball any longer.

It was then—and only then that Kise had taken up modeling full time. With his full focus on it, he quickly got job after job and made his way through high school and didn't even bother with college. Instead, he opted to move to the U.S., where his fame only grew. Before even he knew it, he was living an all too luxurious life.

He had gotten American friends and had hardly kept in touch with friends from high school. There were Momoi and Kuroko, at times. At times. And then there was always the awkward moments when Midorima flew into the U.S. for a doctor thing or whatever. To this day, those two were on semi-bad terms. Midorima didn't like the way Kise lived his life, and Kise didn't like being told how to live his life. Modeling was what he chose and hey, he lived in a nicer place than even Midorima the Doctor did.

"So suck on that," Kise pouted and rubbed his finger along the couch fabric, watching it go from dark to light with each opposing sweep of his finger.

He then sat up.

He was not going to make himself miserable when he was already lonely. Nope. He would...he would go work out. Yes. That was exactly what he needed to clear out his mind. Besides, he was still conscious at bumfuck of the night. Nearly everyone in his building was probably out at some party or social event, so it would be deserted.

Working out it is.

The model stood up from his spot and went to his room to change into his most pathetic of sports clothes—there honestly was no reason to worry about the way he looked—no cameras, no one cared about his fame, and the only way he was allowed to get any guests was if they were on his list that was kept with the receptionist on the first floor. Very, very safe.

Leaving his floor, he made his way into the elevator and made the long ride down.

Lonely.

This was truly lonely.

He—was truly lonely.

And to think that this would be something that he should be used to at this point. He was just destined to be like this.

"That's what you get for working such a dumb job, Ryouta," the blond mumbled to himself as the elevator doors opened and he stepped on through to the now exposed sports activities floor. Dead silent.

Coming onto this floor as opposed to the actual gym was always a stupid choice, of course. It always filled him with nostalgia. They weren't bad memories or anything, no, they just made him miss what he used to have. Fond memories. They reminded him of the sport he truly loved to play more than anything, they reminded him of the friends he had made—not managed to have kept, but hey, at least he had met wonderful people. And then, of course, there was that one guy he never had ever gotten the balls to tell...

No. Nope. He wasn't going to do this to himself. This was the reason he was in the spot he was in right now. He knew that he had forced himself into this rut, and all the annoyance in the world wasn't going to augment his current reality. This he already knew.

"In any case," the model made his way across the floor until he reached the area that had the basketball court. "You're really, really stupid," he scolded himself, pulling open the chainlink door and letting himself in. It was the same old song and dance; he'd grab a ball and walk to the center of the court and practise his shooting. He'd dribble the ball forward-while walking at a leisurely pace, and shoot from there. He'd catch the ball, stand there for a moment and try to dunk-which landed him on a bad ankle that always gave way, and he would end up with a knee against a lacquered floor, along with a few hisses of pain and a select string of curses.

"Ah, ah, that's everyone's favorite idiot," an all too familiar voice rang in his ears as a hand lowered itself to help him off the floor. "Need a hand?"

"Well if it isn't Mister NBA coming here to see us average people," the blond retorted, taking the hand and being helped up. "Tiger."

"You don't need to make everything English, Ryouta," Kagami Taiga sighed aloud as he helped his friend to the only bench around. "And you can't call yourself average, Mister Everybody-wants-me. A superstar model, are you being serious right now?"

"Yeah, but do you have any idea how hard it was to learn?" Kise rolled his eyes and frowned. "I want to keep using it. Maybe one day I won't have this accent," he laughed—pathetically, but it was a laugh. "How bad did I mess it up this time?" He asked, peering down.

"You didn't try so hard this time, so it's hardly even swelling," Kagami replied, model ankle in hand as he inspected for any injury. "Ryou—"

"I know, I know," Kise ran his hands over his face and into his hair. "I know basketball's passed for me, but you don't get it." He placed a hand over his mouth and grumbled against it.

"You're right, I don't, I know. But that doesn't mean you should keep trying." Kagami stood and took a seat next to Kise. "One day you're going to throw that foot of yours agai—"

"Imagine how your life would be if you never got to play basketball again though," Kise mumbled. "I haven't played in six years." His mood had depleted significantly...though he honestly had no one to blame other than himself for the current situation he was in. Yes, he knew it was a dick move to bring up basketball to the star player, he knew, but he was just ___so_ jealous of him. "I don't even deserve a friend like you."

Dealing with Kise when he got into his self-deprecating ways was never a good thing. It wasn't easy, and the redhead got frustrated almost immediately. "Come, let's get you away from the basketball court. Why don't we just go and have a drink instead, huh? It's Friday and I think you're the only one in the building right now."

"I...wouldn't doubt you on that, actually," Kise stood, acknowledging the fact that Kagami was indeed trying to help him out. Again, one of the many reasons Kise didn't even deserve Kagami as a friend. He seemed so sturdy and perfect on his own, and here he was, dumping all his shit on Kagami as he pleased.

"Do you want me to carry you like a princess or." It came out as more of a statement than a question, but still, Kagami stared at Kise as he awaited a response.

"...no."

"Are you sure, because that ankle, I dunno, Ryou, you might even cry if you walk on that." The redhead smirked as he watched the blond's eyes narrow into a glare.

"...I'm perfectly fine walking on my own."

And yet, Kagami still wrapped an arm around him while semi-lifting him up and nearly off the ground. "Wow, what a fatass—You know, for a model you really aren't as light as you'd think a model would be."

"Tiger. I'm still over six feet and I still have all my muscle—I probably even have more muscle from what you last saw, okay. For me to weigh anything under what, 150, would be impossible." This banter was normal, of course, the mutual insults were always there. They were welcome, even. That's just the way these two functioned after meeting up again nearly two years ago.

* * *

Back on his floor, Kise began to mope once more. "Taiga, how do you even manage keeping all your friends when you're always playing basketball?"

"I invite them over after games or when I'm off?" Kagami walked over to the model and handed him a simple beer before taking a seat on the other end of the couch.

"But how—HOW." Kise took a swig of the beer. He brought up his legs and sat crosslegged as he faced Kagami. "Like, you're always at practice and stuff, right? Satsuki and—how do you do it?"

"Dude, I really don't think I'm the right person you should be asking for that. Unlike you, my schedule stays the same nearly all the time. It's easy to plan around it. Your shit's got you flying around all over the place. I hear you just got back from New York?"

Kagami only earned a nod in response.

"Hey, hey, I'm not trying to brag or any of that shit, but it is easier. And I'm pretty sure you have loads of friends still." Kagami swallowed hard; even he knew that a majority of Kise's so called friends only wanted to edge on his generosity. And there really was no point in asking about his friends from high school. He heard everything from Momoi as it was. "So uh, how'd that model dude work out for you?"

"Total dick," Kise sighed out as he took another drink.

"Of course he was."

Kise nodded and leaned into the couch. "I kinda give up on that shit though, Taiga. It's just happened too many times already."

"Maybe should just take a break and give yourself some time to catch up with everyone you want to? Who knows, maybe one of those people you broke ties with is actually who you've been looking for?" Kagami took a drink of his own beer and gave Kise a look. "I know you have some regrets, anyway."

"Shh, shh," the blond drummed his fingers along the glass of his bottle. "I don't remember that it's a regret until I actually get reminded that it's a regret."

"You should've just told him."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." Kise sighed as he took another drink. "But that was years ago and I'm here now and he's moved on and I've...kinda moved on...careerwise..." He sighed loudly and rubbed at his face. "WHY AM I SO STUPID, AUGH, HONESTLY."

"Ryouta. Chill, chill. You're just probably going to have to close that chapter if you're going to feel any better." Kagami sighed just as loud. "And you know what I mean by closing it. Maybe you'll keep on writing onto it."

"Yeah, sure. He's always been into chicks with huge tits and nice hips, and asses and..." Kise trailed. "I don't have any of that."

"I think you qualify for the hips thing."

"...you need to not look at my hips that hard."

"Just saying. Normal dudes can't fit into those jeans you wear in the same way you wear them." Kagami shrugged.

Another sigh. "I just haven't seen him since the last year of high school, so it's just...we're at different points in life, so there's not really much to go off of anymore. It's not like I can talk about high school or any of that shit because that's really stupid and lame and just—who does that? No one. No one does."

"Maybe you just need to," the redhead shrugged. "That's what you have to do. It's like becoming friends with him all over again."

All over again.

He had to start from step one.

He didn't know if he could even manage that.

He slumped over onto Kagami's shoulder. "Taiga, you know that sounds way easier than actually doing it, right?"

"What's that saying though? 'All things worth having take work'?"

"You're still so cheesy. It's awful."

* * *

ps i dont own knb or anything all that jazz and rights are waved and owned by their respective owners all that fancy stuff ok thank


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Kise woke up sprawled all over his bed. He was horrible with his alcohol. AGAIN, one of the many reasons he didn't deserve a friend like Kagami. Honestly, that guy dealt with every little piece of shit he dished out towards him. The blond took note to apologise to Momoi later on for stealing her practically husband away from her so much. She must hate him for that. How needy.

"I'm so jealous of Satsuki," Kise blurted out as he took a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

"Why would you be jealous of her? She's not even making any money like you."

"Yeah, but she's had a relationship with a really nice guy for what seems like forever now." The model stared at Kagami.

"Hah. We have problems too, sometimes. We're not perfect."

"But you've lasted."

"But we've lasted." Kagami gave an 'okay, I get your point,' nod to Kise.

Kise nodded and continued to lap up the soup that...Kagami made. Jeez. More jealousy. And he was perfectly okay with admitting that he was jealous.

"Anyway, I gotta head out, Ryou. I have practice in like a half hour." Kagami sidestepped out of the kitchen and made his way towards the blond, patting his head. "Don't do anything stupid and don't get depressed. Think stuff through and maybe you'll figure something out. Got it?"

The model nodded and did indeed take in Kagami's words. "I'll be fine, I'll be fine," he said, batting at the stronger arm. "Go, go. You gotta head to...work." His brow furrowed. "Play? Your...job."

Kagami let out a laugh and brought his arm back to himself. "My job, yeah. I'll text you later to see if you're fine."

"I'll be fine, jesus—Taiga, you make it sound like I'm going to kill myself or something just because I'm single," Kise sighed. "You just go."

And so Kagami did. With a bit of hesitation. Kise had always been the overly dramatic type. Not that it was bad or anything...just. He was a bit dramatic.

"Maybe I can ask Satsuki to help him out or something," the basketball player mused to himself as he left the building entirely.

Kise remained in his seat, swirling the soup around with his spoon. This was bad; he was thinking more and more about steeling himself and just...well, it wasn't like he could just blurt out how he felt at this point. He really did have to work at it. He had to become friends with him again. His ears heard his spoon clang against his bowl as his hands covered his face. The act of becoming friends again seemed much harder at this point than admitting that he'd been in love with the same person for six years, and even then some. It was borderline ten years if he counted all the way back. This person was the very reason that he was not able to date anyone properly. This person was the reason he held himself back and never bothered getting into a meaningful relationship. He was stalling, for some reason.

Regrets sucked.

A loud groan passed from his lips as he rubbed at his eyes. "Why this, why now, why." Kise shook his head and slumped forward. "He's a manly dude who's really into chicks with the goods," he talked to himself. "I don't have any goods and I'm a dude myself. Worst combo ever." The blond lowered his head onto the granite counter and banged against it several times.

Luckily enough, he was able to be snapped out of his reverie as his phone went off. He quickly bolted from the table with a 'thank god' and rushed over the couch, flipping onto it from behind. A long arm went over the arm rest and grabbed at the phone, clicking it on.

"Yes, hello, Ryouta here."

His agent.

The model instantly made a face. "England is so boring," he sighed into the receiver. "But yeah, I can head over by tomorrow. No worries." He nodded, listening to the details. "I'll let you know when I head off and I'll call you when I actually get there. Mhmm."

New job listed for him, Kise sat through the rest of the phone call before repeating himself once more and hanging up.

"Maybe I'll meet some guy there if I'm lucky," he told himself as he drummed the phone on his chest. "They do have nice accents and they get pretty tall in Europe."

That was always an annoying issue. It was hard to find a guy that was taller than he already was. Harder yet to find one that would satisfy him properly. Stereotypical or not, the shorter ones had a tendency to not want to share the workload. Especially when it came to the bed. Nope. It was always the taller one that had to do all the work. It was always the taller one who had to start the foreplay. Nope. It could never be shared.

Golden eyes went to look over at his cable box. It read: 10:57am.

He rolled his eyes and looked forward, at the ceiling. "It's eleven in the morning and I'm thinking about something like this." Who could blame him though, honestly. He was a grown dude who had needs. Needs. Plus there was his personality. He wanted affection. He wanted touching, he wanted interaction.

The only interaction he ever got that he actually cared about was whenever Kagami came over. It's not like he had actual friends in the U.S. that cared about him as a person. Even in the U.S. he was the one who got picked on and ragged on for...being...well, being who he was.

A sigh blew through his lips.

"Augh, why, why. I want to date people just like everyone else does," he complained and turned onto his stomach, shoving his face into the couch cushion. "I want to be able to experience that properly without having to deal with...who I am."

His eyes slipped closed as he thought about the situation he was in.

Was fame really such a big deal though?

He couldn't meet anyone properly, unless they were one of two kinds of people.

The chances of him finding someone who didn't know him were highly unlikely, given where he lived and the life he had, but then the chances of him meeting someone on his level without their lifestyles clashing was also highly unlikely. Then of course there was always the chance that he could reconnect with someone from his childhood or teenage years, but that would require him to move back to Japan and actually go out of his way to find someone.

"Why this."

Why was it that he was only twenty-two and at this point of his life where he just wanted to spend time with someone he genuinely liked? He was too young to actually care about shit like this, wasn't he? He knew of a lot of people at this age who were already getting married, even. And then he would look at himself and see a lonely single guy. Who cared that he looked good? Who cared that he had a lot of money? He was still that lonely guy at the end of the day who went to sleep alone, who woke up alone and had nothing to really look forward to aside from his job.

He hated when he got like this.

He absolutely hated it. He would just get into this state of mind that stemmed from when he was a kid. He literally was the punching bag of the group, wasn't he? Sure, as a child he was different; blond, taller and more pale-skinned. Even then he was exceptional at everything he did. He snorted. How sad it was to be jaded by the time he was thirteen, fourteen. Though part of that jaded attitude did come from his arrogance. He used to be that dick who just thought he was better than everyone else. Technically, it wasn't wrong of him to say so, was it? He really was. But.

"Jesus I was a huge dick when I was a kid," he whispered.

And then he joined Teikou's basketball team by pure chance.

Pure chance.

He felt a smile come onto his face as he remembered just how exactly he managed to get onto the team. Sure, the hit to the head was less than pleasurable, but following that dark-skinned guy to the gym was probably one of the best choices he had ever made in his life.

Part of him regretted choosing not to follow him any longer, but at the same time...he wouldn't be who he was now if he hadn't.

Still, throughout that moment where he had followed, he spent a massive amount of him time around him.

And it was in that time that he went through all the motions. First he just saw him as a friend, then a great friend, and then...more awkward feelings developed. He was still in middle school when he realised how stupid he was being. To cover up how stupid he was being—being attracted to a guy of all people—he just started dating girls. None of that lasted all that long either.

"Man, I've liked him for a really long time," he whispered as he brought his arms over his eyes. "He was just so so cool," he began to speak to himself. "Ugh, who doesn't want to date a guy that cool?" Kise asked himself, turning onto his side.

And it was just like that that he reminded himself just how much, exactly, that he liked that dark-skinned former teammate. He was reminded so much so that he could already feel his heart start to ache. To this day, he wanted to be the guy that could brag about being able to date the coolest guy to ever exist—

He uncovered his eyes.

This was what regrets did.

They just ate at you.

"I feel like such a girl," Kise said, his eyes wide. His hands came cover his face to hide his heated face from who knew who. He could feel the warmth. Blush. He hadn't blushed in a long time. Not for anyone else, no. He was not about to start now. Definitely not. "Oh god, I feel like a total girl, a total girl," he mumbled against his hands. "I gotta do things, I gotta do things. I can't act like this," he told himself as he bolted upright.

Standing, he quickly moved over to the end table and set the phone back in its place before rushing to his room to get his cellphone.

"Gotta let everyone know that I'm leaving, gotta pay stuff ahead of time, gotta get a cleaning person..." he ran through a list of things he had to do before leaving the U.S. Which was literally nothing. That was all the more depressing.

In his room, he quickly grabbed his phone opened up a mass text; his finger dragged itself along the screen as he typed out how long he was going to be away. A week wasn't all that bad, was it? Nah. He left for weeks at a time all the time.

"And that's probably why you don't have a boyfriend, Ryouta," he mumbled to himself as he tossed suitcase onto his bed and flipped it open. "You always leave and you come back home at crazy hours and no one would want to deal with that."

The blond spent a majority of the next few hours going through an arrangement of clothes that would suit the colder temperatures, but he had only gotten himself four sets of outfits. He flopped onto the bed and groaned. Perhaps this was a sign that he should just buy actual warmer clothes there. It made no difference in the end, really. He would end up buying half the clothes he wore at the shoot itself. At least he'd have room in his suitcase for it.

Getting up to throw in a few pairs of shoes, he considered himself done with packing and went onto the even harder task of making himself bother with changing his clothes. And luckily enough, he wouldn't have to, for his cellphone rang.

"Hello, hello, Ryouta—"

"Oi, it's me."

"I'm still alive, Taiga."

"Yeah, I know you are, I know you are. This trip though, will you be back for the all-star game? It's literally the next night. With all that time shit and whatever?"

Kise stared. Damn. "Right. Right." He sat at the foot of his bed. "It's gonna be...I'll be fine though, really. It's not like I have a normal sleep schedule or anything, and I'll sleep and shit on the flight back. I promise I will be here on time for your game. I wouldn't even miss that. You know that."

"Better not. You better not, especially since I reserved a spot for you. Do you need an extra seat..." An awkward cough rumbled from him. "For...er..."

"No, it's fine." Kise laughed and rubbed at his nape. "I'll be showing up alone and leaving alone." He shrugged.

"Ryouta."

"I know, shh. Anyway, I gotta head out. My agent said my flight is in..." He pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the time. "It's in about an hour and I have to get all this shit out of the way." Before Kagami could speak once more, he continued. "And really, I will be here in time to go to your game. Plenty of time, all right?"

"You better not miss it, I'll be pissed off. For real. Do you know how lame that'll look?"

"Yes, yes. I will show up in time to go to this game."

"Oh—Okay. I need to go again. We're being drilled hard because of this game. Just keep an eye on the day and time. Do not come here late."

"And I won't, Taiga, I won't—by the way, by the way, do you have a suit to wear after that game, you know for when you win?" Kise heard a laugh from the other end of the line. "I'm serious! We both know you'll win, so you'll need a nice suit. They have nice suits that would actually fit a taller guy like you."

"Fine, fine. Yeah, I do need one though," Kagami agreed. "I'll just text you my measurements then, yeah? I do need to leave."

"Okay yes, yes, go. Text me." The blond hung up quickly as to not let the conversation ramble on any longer.

"Man, it's going to be so awkward when I show up, Taiga," he stood and slid his phone into his pocket. "Showing up alone and remaining quiet for the whole game?" The blond rolled his eyes and wandered into his bathroom.

Yes, this trip to London would have to be a good thing for him, or else he was going to have to suffer more awkwardness from being the only one there without a date even.


	3. Chapter 3

But of course, with his luck, he found no such man he wanted. He was able to flirt, he did go on several dates over the course of his week stay in England.

He had gotten calls and he had received texts from people in the U.S. but he hardly paid any mind to them; he couldn't really care for it. He was at work, after all.

And now he was going to show up to Kagami's game on his own. He was truly pathetic even after a week away. Augh. And that week away didn't help the way he was feeling when he was away. The only person who was on his mind was that same guy from when he was a teenager. And even then he tried to rationalise how stupid liking the same person was. It wasn't like he knew him anymore. It'd been years. Aomine could be a different person entirely.

"And here I am, wasting my life thinking about something that'll never happen. Ugh, I need to get over myself." The blond stepped forward and hailed for a cab. He needed to get home, quickly. The blond was on a clock now. A clock that was dragging on whilst going at a million miles per hour. He helped himself as he pulled his phone out his new coat and called Kagami.

Heavy breathing was all he could hear on the other line as he took his seat and named the building in which he lived.

"...Please tell me I didn't call while you and Satsuki were doing..."

"RYOUTA NO."

"WELL YOU'RE BREATHING HARD."

"I'M AT PRACTICE."

"WELL I'M SORRY. Anyway, come over to my place if you can to try on this new suit I got you. I chose it myself and watched over the way they made it, so I know it'll look good on you."

"Where are you now? Home?"

"Not yet. I'm heading over there right now; I've just left the airport, so."

"Okay, yeah, if I get there first, I'll just let myself in then."

"You do that. It's a shitstorm of traffic right now probably because of your game, so just do whatever." Kise nodded a few more times as he directed the taxidriver. "Okay I'll see you then. Bye~"

At his house, he immediately pinched down on his nose.

"Holy shit how long have you been in here?" Kise made his way towards his living room.

"About like ten minutes?"

"Jesus, you stink really badly. Please please please take a shower." The model pointed towards the bathroom down the opposite hall. "And burn your clothes."

Kagami sighed. Loudly. "I'm only—"

"SHOWER. You're not putting this suit on without being properly cleaned." Kise turned on his heels and made his way to his room, quickly closing the door behind himself.

His phone made another sound.

"Why is it now that I'm suddenly wanted?" The blond asked as he pulled out his phone. "...How did he know I'm awake...?" He shrugged and set his phone back in his coat as rummaged through his suitcase for his laptop. His need for cleanliness beat him though and he took the time to set everything away.

The last thing, of course, was the new suit he had gotten for Kagami and his massive build. That was set neatly in his closet. Just like everything else.

He paid no attention to the time he had actually spent; all he knew is that he was now going back to his living room and taking a seat at his desk and booting the laptop, opening skype and seeing Kuroko's name, he clicked on him and started a call. He pulled out his phone and while he waited, checked his appointments. He had to have kept on everything.

"I just gotta give my English portfolio to my agent and I can do that after talking to Tetsu and giving Taiga that suit..."

He continued his rambling as the call was answered.

"Sorry, Tetsu, just a sec," Kise said, scrolling through whatever else he needed.

"Kise." A deep voice.

Deep voice, in Japanese. That voice was near unmistakable.

It sent an electric feel down his spine. Kise stopped fumbling with his phone; his eyes moved towards the computer screen.

"Aominecchi," he whispered. Damn, when even was the last time he had added '-cchi' to the end of someone's name?

"Oi, Kise," the tanned male waved from the other side of the computer screen. Aomine Daiki. "Tetsu just said to answer you since he's still getting ready to go out. He said he told you to call him a half hour ago. You took forever and so he just started getting ready."

"Oops. A half hour." Kise let out an awkward laugh—and on reflex immediately slammed his laptop closed and scooted himself away from the computer desk. Not ready. He was not ready to see him. He wasn't even expecting him to be at Kuroko's house. All he had wanted to do was ask Kuroko how he was doing—since he hadn't asked in years. Everyone else knew that Aomine Daiki was the 'unmentionable' topic. Everyone, that is, except Kagami Taiga. He was the boldness Kise needed.

"Ah—Kise? OI, TETSU, I THINK YOUR SIGNAL SHAT OUT OR SOMETHING," could be heard from the computer speaker.

"Ryouta," Kagami's voice echoed down the hall as he left the shower. So comfortable he had grown around Kise that honestly, he and Kise couldn't care less about personal space. All he wore was a towel. "Where's that suit you said you had gotten in my size?"

"The hell—Is that Kagami I hear?" Aomine's voice again.

"Oh, are you on the phone?" Kagami's eyes went to Kise.

A clash of English and Japanese had to be sorted in his mind; the model had to take a moment to sort through it before looking over at the NBA star. He shook his head but now had a hand up to his mouth. 'He's even hotter now than he was in high school,' he thought to himself as he lifted that same hand to smack himself. 'So stupid.'

"OI, KAGAMI—"

"Skype—" Kagami walked over to Kise.

"Taiga—Wait, you don't have any—" Kise hissed at the idiot and grabbed at his arm in a pathetic attempt to get him away from the computer. But no, that was his rival on the other side—of course he lifted the screen open; never mind the fact that he had no clothing on—nothing but a towel, but again, he was so comfortable around the model.

"Eh? 'Taiga'? The fuck are you—" Aomine got a full view of Kagami's chest, along with a Kise Ryota attached to a still wet arm. "Oh. That Taiga."

"Aomine," Kagami continued on, oblivious as ever. "It's been a long time since I've seen your face."

"Ah. Yeah."

Kise couldn't even force himself to look over at the computer. He knew exactly what this scene looked like. That stare. It was usually so cold it burned.

It'd been what, four? Five? Years, since they had last seen each other, let alone caught up with each other, and this is the first thing he sees. He was even calling Kagami by his first name. Augh. This was the absolute worst. Abort. He would just...avoid this. Instead, his eyes remained trained on the sunkissed arm that he was holding onto.

"How are you? Did everything go over okay?" Kagami, still oblivious. This jerk knew that Kise and Aomine hadn't seen each other in the longest of time, right? And here was, naked as far as anyone else knew.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Aomine turned his attention to Tetsu as he entered the view. "Here, here. It's a naked Kagami."

The male quickly pushed Aomine aside on the seat—just enough to signal for him to move; he did, of course as Kuroko took the whole seat back for himself. Kise could barely make out Aomine's face from under his own lashes, but he knew Aomine wasn't going to bother looking at the screen any further.

"Kise-kun, Kagami-kun," his voice was ever polite. "You look like you're doing well in the U.S. as a model, Kise." He was just way too formal; something Kise would never understand. "What took you so long? I sat here waiting."

"Huh—Uh, yeah, you think so?" Kise turned back to the screen and took in Aomine's face for a brief moment. 'Jesus Christ you're really attractive.' Snapping himself out of it, he said his apologies.

"Yes, I think so. I end up seeing all the magazines you're in, you know that. You look better and more professional with each shoot. But you talked to Aomine, right? How long has it be—"

"We talked, Tetsu, we talked. I'm gonna head out now. I'll meet you there?" Aomine said, stifling a yawn.

It was silent from both ends as Aomine made the short walk from the his spot beside Kuroko to the door. The silence was broken as Kuroko sighed out, his sigh meshing with the sound of the door closing. "Anyway, Kise, when did you and Kagami start...?"

"OH, NO NO," Kise let go of Kagami's arm—the arm he was just using as a security—and shook his hands. "I just came from a trip and they have the best tailors, so I got him a suit from there. You know, like, for after he wins." Clothing. This brought a smile back onto his face. "But yeah, you should see how ugly his wardrobe used to be."

"Oi."

"Taiga."

"Okay, yeah, it was pretty bad."

"Thank you." Amber eyes went back to Kuroko. "I rest my case, thanks. I just get him nice clothes. He just so happens to be naked because we just came back from the gym in the basement level and then I let him use the shower. I swear to god we're not doing anything."

Kuroko glared. "Better not, Kagami Taiga. I know you and Momoi-san have something, so you better not mess it up with some guy like 'Ryouta Kise'."

"Ow, that doesn't hurt or anything," Kise sighed. "He's actually a really good boyfriend to her, just so you know. You have no idea how jealous I am. I want a guy to treat me the same way Taiga treats Satsuki~" A longful sigh blew from his nose.

"One day, Kise-kun. You just need to stop going for the indecent. I heard from Momoi-san that you dated another jerk a while back." The model earned a frown.

Kise let a smile come onto his face. "What can I say? I just can't help it. Maybe I'm just really stupid when it comes to men."

"You really are, honestly." Blunt commentary via Kagami.

"Wow, thank you, Tai—Go get dressed. Try on that suit. It's the charcoal colored one closest to the side. Really wine red shirt for the inside. You need to hurry up because you have to do all that warming up shit before the game even starts."

"Yeah yeah," Kagami pressed his all-too-comforting hand against Kise's head and ruffled at the blond locks. "I don't get why you made me shower though because I'm just going to end up smelly again."

"Hair, hair, hair—Tiger hones—" Kise sighed at the laughter he had gotten as Kagami made his way towards the back and into the master bedroom. He reached up and brushed his hair back into position. "Anyway, I was going to talk to you about something but I totally can't remember it right now. I didn't know you had Aominecc—Er, Aomine there."

"Oh. Yes, surprise, I guess I should say." He shrugged. Always levelheaded.

Kise sighed as he shifted in his seat. "But ah, what did you want to talk to me about? You texted me earlier?"

"...Yes, yes, you're right. Relax though. Is it wrong to catch up with you after you disappear?" Kuroko wasn't going to be blunt for once and say something along the lines of 'who else would ask you?' Even if he felt like an asshole on his own for feeling the need to pity his friend like that. "Why are you so uptight today?"

"Sorry, sorry. I had a long flight and I didn't think I was going to make it here in time for Taiga's game. Plus I have other things to do with my agency since I got back so yeah, I'm a tiny bit stressed." The model let out an awkward laugh as he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I took so long though. I didn't help at all."

"It's all right. You're a busy guy." Kuroko nodded. "Should I let you go? You had stuff to do?"

"Ah, yeah, I have to give my portfolio from England to my agent so he could add it and whatever to my current one. You know how the whole thing goes." Kise leaned forward onto the desk and rubbed at his face.

"Kise, shouldn't you do that instead then? Go do what you have to do and do not miss Kagami's game. You can tell he's really excited."

Kise waved him off. "I know that already. I go every year without fail." He yawned then, his fingers going over his eyes. "I'll be fine. Go with Aominecchi. He seemed pissed off about seeing Taiga's chest and all that. Tell him that I'm sorry, I guess?"

"Will do, will do. See you soon, then."

"Yeah, see you," Kise hung up the call and stepped away. "Taiga, you've been taking forever, you know," the blond stood and walked over to his room.

Where he stopped and stared.

"Taiga what the hell are you—what are you doing—" He snorted. "Please tell me that you know how to use suspenders—and you can't even tie a tie?"

"I tried. That's why I'm still here in your room instead of out there, asking you for help."

Obviously, the admittance earned laughter from the blond as he walked over to aid him.

"You don't need to actually put them on right now; you do know that, right?" Kise put the tie on himself and fastened it enough so that he could easily remove it and set it over Kagami's head. "There you go. You look great, you need to...your other clothes smell awful, right. Do you have any of your other stuff—"

"Right, okay. Yes. I gotta go now though. So I'm just gong to head off. I don't know how you function like this. I'd be so stressed." Kagami began pulling his shirt

"You have no idea, honestly," Kise let out a sigh and shrugged. "Welcome to the fast pace life of Ryouta...~"

"How are you going to get to the game?"

"I was thinking of just driving there myself. Do not send an obnoxious car for me again. You know I hate that."

"Yes yes, I won't. The next time will see you probably after the game then, yeah?"

Kise merely nodded. He was already getting his bag ready to take his portfolio over before anything else. "I'm gonna head out first. I have one more thing to do before your game." He headed towards the other. "And don't worry," he tapped the manila envelope on the player's chest. "I will be at your precious game. I know how important I am to your life and it's completeness."

The small speech earned him a snort. "You better."

"I will, I will. Lock my door when you leave~" The blond floated out of view and the sound of a door closing echoed in his living room.

"Will do, famous model-san," Kagami said as he made his way towards the guest room he normally used.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yes, yes, I heard you. Taiga, really, you're way too worried about me showing up this time," Kise sighed into his phone as he stepped from another cab. "It's weird, you know." He frowned at the phone from the corner of his eye. Part of him wanted to feel suspicious, but he honestly had no reason to. Kagami had never done him wrong, so...egh. He wouldn't prank him, would he?

"Anyway, yeah, like...I just got home so I just need to get changed and I'll text you when I'm actually there, okay?" The blond made his way back into his building and heard arguing.

_"What do you mean it's by invite only?" _

Jeez, this guy sounded angry. What a horrible accent. Ugh. It must be another fan of someone else's in the building. It was normal. This wasn't something that he wasn't already used to.

"I'm really sorry, but this is just how it works here, sir. You have to be allowed by the person who owns that floor."

_"That's ridiculous. I do know him already."_

That earned an exasperated sigh from the receptionist. "Yes, sir, I've never heard that one before."

Kise walked closer, staring at the person from behind. "Excuse me, you can't just come in here and act like you're allowed to go wherever you please. This is a private building." He reached over and patted at the person's shoulder. "Time to go, yeah?"

"I'll call the police and they'll handle it, sir."

"Kise." Japanese.

Japanese. That clearly was Japanese, wasn't it?

The blond swallowed hard; what—just what exactly was Aomine doing here in—for the game, of course.

Kise gripped onto the shoulder. "I—Uh—Uh—" He turned to the receptionist, stopping him before any sort of police could be called. "You don't need to call them, I know him."

The receptionist rose a brow and still held the phone to his ear. "Are you...sure? You don't feel threatened by him, do you, sir?"

"No, no." Kise stepped in front of the other and reached over the desk. "Add his name to my list, yeah?"

Thoroughly confused, the receptionist merely nodded and pulled out the list that Kise made him keep. "What is his name?"

"Oh don't worry about writing it," Kise reached over and took the clipboard, writing down the name. "Remember how hard it was to write mine?" He laughed. "For future reference, his name is Daiki. Daiki Aomine. If he ever does show up alone, I'm sure he'd just use his last name or something. He's that kind of guy, you know." A shrug. He handed over the clipboard.

"Ah...uh huh. Sir." His tone quieted. "Are you...?"

"He's a friend from when I lived in Japan. That's all." He turned on his heels and nodded towards the elevator. "Er, uh, up we go~" It came out awkward, but he continued, walking in the direction of the elevator.

Which was a mistake because that whole ride up was even more awkward. Silent. Awkwardness just radiated from the both of them; Kise nearly felt as though he were suffocating.

Elevator door open, Kise stuck out his arm to allow the other to enter first. "Welcome to my home, Aominecchi. Make yourself comfortable...?"

Aomine merely nodded in acknowledgment as he made his way inside. "So this is what being one of the best models in the world gets you, huh?" He walked to the center of the faux lobby and tapped his shoe against the floor. "What is this, granite?"

Kise nodded as he followed the other's lead. "I actually think I have a modest place for the amount of money I really make," he laughed awkwardly as he shuffled forward a bit more. "I don't need anything all that big though. Just enough room to have family and friends over."

Aomine looked over at the blond. It'd been years; Kise unfortunately had lost the ability to read his former friend like he once had. It was saddening really. Kise could feel his heart ache from this. Was he really that hung up on a guy from so long ago?

Ugh.

The fact that he was here, right in front of him only made it worse. You never really know how you feel until you get smacked in the face with the reality.

"Do I get a tour, or am I only allowed in this little space?" Aomine asked, sliding his hands into his pockets.

___'Christ your body has such a nice shape to it,'_ Kise sighed through his nose. ___'He's still as fit as ever and you can see his muscle through his clothes.'_

"Is that a no then?"

"Ah, no, sorry, I mean yes? Like—I mean yes to..." The blond reached up and smacked himself. "You can totally enter my place. I already said, make yourself comfortable." He moved towards and entrance way and bowed, sticking an arm out to lead the other in. "Come on in~ I'll even give you a tour." He looked up and smiled.

"A tour."

"Mhmm?"

"Don't you have somewhere to be though?"

Kise stared. Shit. Right. Kagami's game. "Oh. But you're here—"

"And I am also going to Kagami's game." Aomine crossed his arms over his chest and rose a brow.

"Oh god, I haven't even showered and I need to pick something to wear and—I just—I have a guest over and—Aominecchi—"

"Go get ready. I'm going to make myself comfortable." Kicking off his shoes, he headed over towards the blond's living room and tossed himself onto the couch, readily picking up a remote and turning on the tv. "I'd hurry."

Kise stood in the doorway for a moment and couldn't help the smile that was on his face. "I'm sure you can find the kitchen if you want anything," he said in passing as he made his way to his room.

In his room of course, was where his cool, calm and collected demeanor disintegrated almost immediately. He brought a hand over his chest and hung his head. The palm of his hand was met with the fast-paced beating of his heart.

"Why would you come over right now—I—Taiga didn't even mention this. He didn't say anything while I was here, he never informed me of this—Augh, what a jerk," the blond rushed towards the bathroom and quickly stripped.

He spent quite a bit of time just staring at the tiled wall, just standing there as the water merely poured onto his face. "How come you never told me any of this, Taiga?" He groaned and reached over for his shampoo. "I don't think I'm even ready to see him out of the blue, you dick, you know how I feel towards him." A sigh left him as he began to rush. He knew he was on a clock and...

"I'm so stressed," he slouched. "I can't handle all this stress." The blond finished showering and dried himself off as quickly as he could, rushing to change into something and make his way towards the arena where Kagami would be playing.

Shrugging on one of his many tailored suit jackets, he figured he would dress trendy but still classy. He could pull that off; besides, this was just a game. It wasn't something he had to show off at. Plus in the evening it got pretty chilly. He would be fine.

"After the game I can just give Taiga a piece of my mind," he spoke to himself as he shoved his phone into his breast pocket, "and...thank him for forcing me into it because hell I would've never had the initiative." Kise mumbled as he shoved his wallet into another pocket. "But I'll thank him only if it goes well," he murmured under his breath. "At least I won't like a total idiot since Satsuki and Tetsu will also be there."

He braced himself and walked back into the living room, catching sight of Aomine once more. It all felt too surreal for him, really. But this just made him feel more idiotic. It's like he was hoping that Aomine was the same guy he was...actually, would that really be a good thing? He was a bit of an ass when they were in high school. Augh, but that wasn't what had attracted Kise towards him. Aomine just became an ass over time. Kise...Kise had fallen for him simply because he had gotten to know and appreciate just who he was. Aomine had brought challenge into his life; Aomine was the first one to show Kise what failure was. He hated failure, of course. Who didn't hate failure?

But it was that very failure that drove him to get better. If it weren't for Aomine, Kise would probably still be a jaded prick with no actual personality. He shuddered at the thought. Kise truly loved who he was right now. He didn't love how his life was currently, but he rather be here than a dick.

He moved closer to the couch and flipped himself over it, to sit next to the other.

"We've got about an hour," Aomine said, without skipping a beat.

"I live nearby, so I don't necessarily think we'd have to rush. Plus Taiga has reserved seating for all of us." Kise shrugged. "Unless you want to head on over there already?"

"Doesn't matter to me," the tanned male replied coolly as he turned the tv off.

The blond instantly felt awkward without the sound of the tv filling up the room. He probably didn't mask it all that well, his body instantly shifting from it's more relaxed position to a more tense one. He cleared his throat and brought up his legs. "So...how's work?"

"The same? I don't have an amazing job like you or Kagami. I kept myself lowkey."

"Lowkey." That alone brought a smirk to his face. "So what then, you're like a farmer or some shit?" It was a joke, of course, but the thought of Aomine being a farmer did seem pretty hilarious.

"A farmer. What the hell."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," the blond let out a single laugh and waved the joke aside. "You said lowkey, and that's probably as lowkey as you can get in Japan, don't you think?"

"I could be a ceremonial tea-master."

Kise burst out laughing then. That was all it took for the two to start talking normally. They cracked jokes like they once used to, and the awkwardness left them both.

This felt nice. It was a breath of fresh air that Kise needed, along with a weight he didn't even know he was carrying on his shoulders that disappeared within that hour. Even on the short drive to the game itself, Kise contemplated missing the street, just to stall. But then, that would just make him a dick—although he figured Kagami would know why he missed the game in the first place by this point. Kise knew everything now. He didn't know when this was planned or anything, but it was happening now.

"I told you they would come together," Satsuki whispered into Kuroko's ear. "This whole idea Taiga had is going along great."

Kuroko had hardly any reaction. He merely nodded and agreed with her. The faintest of smiles came onto his face. It had taken those two long enough, at this point.

"Hopefully they'll talk about what happened during high school," Satsuki sighed out. "They're both really stupid when it comes to that."

"We're not in high school anymore though, Momoi. They've both grown up and had a long time to change who they are." Kuroko, wise as ever, shrugged as he turned his attention to the pre-show.

Satsuki could only pout and stare at Kuroko's face. "Tetsu, you're always so serious. You need to loosen up for Taiga's game. How are you supposed to cheer him on properly, hm?"

"I don't need to cheer so aggressively, Momoi." Kuroko rose an arm and waved at the two whom had just arrived.

"Tetsuya~" Kise hummed as he took the seat beside Satsuki. Aomine promptly took the seat beside him. He grunted.

"These seats could be better," he huffed.

"Aominecchi, better would be if you were literally on the court," Kise commented, raising a brow.

"Could be better."

Kise shook his head and turned his attention to Satsuki, greeting her and hugging her, catching up with her in what seemed like seconds flat. If he had commented, surely Aomine would've said something along the line of 'girls'.

"And how's Kurokocchi, huh?" Kise leaned more out of his seat to face the other properly. "Obviously really well?"

Kuroko nodded and opened his mouth, but the buzzer went off, signaling that the game was about to begin.

"Later then," Kise laughed and sat properly in his seat.

The game seemed to fly by; the two of them commenting on every aspect of the game. Of course both of them had their select jabs and critiques for the star player. A few of them were overheard by Satsuki who couldn't resist the urge to laugh each and every time.

–

Kise winced and rubbed at a kidney. "What was that for, Kurokocchi?" Again, he had let the old nickname slip out. What was going on with him?

"You insulted his former partner," Satsuki hummed and made her way to leave.

"I was only commenting on the game though! I can't help it. Even the great Taiga makes some dumb moves, you know." Kise frowned and followed the other's leads. "And it doesn't really matter since he won anyway. Like I said he would."

"Uh huh, sure Kise," the female nodded. "Dai, are you going to be catching a ride with us, or Kise to the house?"

"I'll just go with Kise since I came here with him," Aomine slung an arm over the blond's shoulders. "Besides, imagine how much of a loser he'd look like if he showed up to some party all on his own?"

"Excuse you," the model frowned.

"No fighting, no fighting," Satsuki said as they turned yet another corner in the labyrinth that was the arena.

"We'll meet you there then, Kise," Kuroko nodded towards him.

"Sure thing. I know how to get there." He pointed down another hallway. "I had to park—"

"Yes, I know. Bye for now." Kuroko and Satsuki made their way down a hallway that lead towards Kagami.

"They're really not going to show up, are they?" Satsuki asked.

"That's the plan, at least." Kuroko replied.

"You don't think anything will go sour?" She turned to watch as Kise and Aomine walked even further away.

"If it does, then it does."

–

"Ah, I'm so glad I wore a jacket," Kise hissed at the chill in the air. Luckily for the celebrities, a different parking lot was set aside for just them. It was pretty mean, Kise had always thought, but his cars had been scratched and ruined a time too many at this point for him to really feel bad. It was nice to hear only his and Aomine's footsteps combined on the blacktop.

"This isn't even that cold though." Aomine.

Kise laughed. "I know that. I'm just more used to this weather now. Which means cold is cold no matter how cold it actually is."

"Weakling." The tanned male brought Kise closer to himself in his subtle way of giving him bodyheat.

"Oh shut up. You'd be the exact same way if you were from here too." Kise pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car.

Aomine stopped. "Hey, Kise."

The blond stopped also, a pace ahead of the other. His attention was just on him.

"How about we skip the boring dinner party and you show me around?"

A hard choice.

Well. Not really.

In his mind, Kise instantly agreed to it, but his moral obligation as a friend to Kagami was making him think carefully.

"Kise?"

Kise smiled. "But it's for Taiga—"

Aomine rose a brow. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind us going on one date," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You can always go to his next dinner party."

Kise laughed. "That's true, that's very true."

"So?"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind. Is there anywhere you actually had in mind?"

"Take me to Hollywood." Aomine disappeared behind the other side of the car and Kise could hear the car door open.

Honey-colored eyes were drawn in by the light and soon enough, he too found himself in the car and already pulling out of the parking space.


	5. Chapter 5

So this one's kinda long because with the way I like writing this, it had to flow a certain way and I couldn't break it into two parts without destroying the flow. I hope you readers don't mind.

Enjoy.

c:

"Why'd you park so far away?" Aomine asked as they made their way over the sidewalk studded with names of celebrities.

"Aominecchi please," Kise sighed out. "You can't just park on the street wherever you want. It doesn't work like that in this area."

"Uh huh."

The blond lifted a brow and turned to face the other. "Really though."

"Joke, Kise. I don't mind walking. It's nice out."

"You mean cold."

"You think it's cold."

Kise rolled his eyes. "Yes, cold. But you're right. It is really nice this evening." He walked along the sidewalk, not even fazed by the fact that famous people's names were beneath his feet. The novelty of living in California so long had gone long ago. This was commonplace for him. "Can I ask why you wanted to come here though? I wouldn't have minded driving some place further, if you wanted."

"I know you wouldn't have, but there's no need for that right now. Here's fine. Besides, I've never seen any of this stuff in my life."

"It's pretty neat, right?" Kise caught up to the other's stride, not really sure what to think.

It could be from his exhaustion that this literally all felt like a dream—a really good dream. But this was reality, right? Kagami had quite literally bought him the chance to meet with Aomine once again, and for that he was truly grateful. He was snapped out of his thoughts for a brief moment when he felt Aomine sling his arm over his shoulders and pull him closer. It sucked. This was what he had wanted from Aomine so badly when he was younger, and now here he was, getting it, but in the sense of friendship.

Oh god, what if this was the fabled friendzone he had heard so much about?

A snort blew through his nose.

"What, should I let go?" Aomine asked, thinking the snort was his reward for sharing his warmth.

"No, no, sorry, I was thinking about something really stupid just now." Kise brought up his arm and brought it across the expanse of the other's back. "See. I don't mind." He smiled, looking up at the other. "Plus you're warmer since you're actually smart and wore a hoodie, unlike myself."

It was Aomine's turn to snort, and he shook his head. "That's rude. I thought you were supposed to pay attention to the person you're with."

Kise laughed. "Right, I am being rude," he agreed. "My bad, my bad."

The two continued with their previous conversation from so many hours ago, making their way along the parts of Hollywood that every tourist made sure to see. It wasn't completely peaceful; the two were occasionally stopped whenever Kise was asked for pictures from fellow models-to-be. It was actually starting to grate on his nerves. He loved taking pictures with fans and signing things and just living in the moment that was his life, but he was really really ___really _preoccupied at the moment. Though...since he was single, and Aomine was just a friend, people were more inclined to ask while they still could. That was something he had noticed from dating others.

Ergh. And he couldn't just joke around so freely anymore. Not when literally every single human being in this particular area had a camera on them nearly at all times. He couldn't deal with bad publicity. Plus, he wasn't the type to dump anything complicated on his agent; that poor girl had it rough as it was, constantly being swamped with calls and things of the sort just because of who Kise was in the model world.

Exasperated, Kise pulled Aomine aside. "Hey, do you want to duck in somewhere and eat?" The model wasn't necessarily hungry himself, but if he was presented with food and he was in a relaxed setting, he knew he would eat. "Just because more and more people are noticing that it's me and stuff, you know, maybe it'll calm down if we just chill somewhere? I mean, we don't have to, I don't know how long you're going to be here, so it's totally understandable if you want to keep exploring and stuff—"

"Your lead," Aomine nodded.

"Really? Okay. Good. I hope you don't mind pizza because that's the closest place that I really like because it's run by real Italians," he said, rushing along the sidewalk and dismissing people as they tried to get their photo-op with the famous model. He made a quick left turn and brought Aomine to a quiet hole in the wall type of place.

"It's not ritzy."

"Ritzy's overrated, honestly," Kise said, going further into the small restaurant. He waved at the owner. "The food always tastes boring and lifeless. I think they focus too hard to make it look pretty so much that they forget that flavor is the more important part."

Aomine followed along. He really had no idea what to say to that; it's not like he was some food connoisseur or anything like this famous model.

"Aominecchi, is there any type of pizza you want specifically?" Kise turned from the counter to look over at him. "I'm friends with them, so he offered to make me anything~"

"You know I'll eat whatever you end up eating, Kise."

"Maybe I should ask for something gross. Like honey-roasted...ham or...something."

"So yeah order up some pepperoni," Aomine said as he took a seat in one of the booths.

"Pepperoni it is," he turned away and placed the order. "Aominecchi, do you want any sort of alcohol?"

"It wouldn't be fair for me to drink when you can't."

"I can so."

"One of us has to drive."

"Coke it is." Kise turned his attention back to the owner, paying for the food and drink and bringing the glasses to the booth Aomine had chosen.

"Why'd you choose the one closest to the back?" Kise asked, looking at the other as he fumbled with his straw.

Aomine leaned out of the booth and nodded towards the front, where there was literally a wall of windows which showed a mass of people. Kise peeked from behind the booth.

"...I'm so sorry for them."

"I don't see why you should be apologising for your own fame, but okay," Aomine shrugged and took a drink of his soda.

"It's just, it must be really annoying," Kise sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He caught sight of the owner walking towards the door and locking it. He promptly flipped the 'open' sign over. For all effects and purposes, the restaurant was now closed.

"Oh—Signore, non c'è bisogno di far—"

"Now, Ryouta, I think I do for one of my favorite customers. Good Italian, you've been paying attention." The older man smiled and made his way back across the restaurant.

Aomine had a smirk on his face. "Look at you. You've got people doing things for you just because you're you."

"Well, they are really nice to me whenever I come over with friends," Kise shrugged. "I just think it's because I'm not a dick to him? He spoke to me once about how your average celebrity expects way too much in places that don't necessarily belong to them, so."

"You just have a really likable personality."

"Pfft. Not that likable," he disagreed. "I've had my shit vandalised before."

"Comes with the territory you're in, no?"

"Indeed it does." Kise nodded.

The two moved aside their glasses for when the owner brought the pizza over. He seemed all too eager to please each and every one of Kise's whims this evening. Was the fact that Kise had been so pathetically depressed that obvious?

If only he knew.

The two began eating, commenting on how annoying it was to hear the sound of shutters from across the place. Kise replied as a seasoned escapee of the paparazzi would, with his 'oh, well you get used to it eventually' and 'you learn how to outrun people' and such. It sounded like a truly stressful life, but the more Kise spoke of it, the more Aomine noticed that this really was where the blond was supposed to be. Being a model did make him happy. That much was obvious. It didn't seem like he was all that hung up on the thought of basketball anymore. Not after that injury he had gotten. It was nice hearing what had happened over the past six years, really. Sure, they had spoken every now and again, but Kise had gone into his own little world. He literally had distanced himself from everyone, friend or not. He wasn't sure if Kise had noticed or not, but nearly two full hours had passed.

"So this is all because you focused on modeling completely."

Kise nodded as he set his third slice of pizza down to wipe at his lips.

Aomine snorted. "Bitches and assholes from high school must be regretting not going after you."

That earned him a laugh. "Ah, no, actually. They did, they did. I just...sorta shot everyone down."

The tanned male's brow furrowed almost instantly. "You did?"

"Yeah, I just, like..." Kise scrunched up the napkin in his hands. "I liked someone, but..." He trailed. Would it be proper to even say anything right now? What if he made things awkward by confessing? They were both adults now, surely Aomine knew how to take things without getting awkward? But even if they were still adults, it was still an awkward topic in and of itself, wasn't it? From Kise's perspective, it was.

"But?"

"I wasn't really their type." Drop it, please.

"Hah, that's bull."

"No, really, I wasn't." Kise let go of his napkin and brought his drink to his lips. "Like, I don't know if I was all that obvious back then to everyone else, but I mean, I did swing both ways."

"Yes, that was obvious. For a while, only."

"How do you mean 'for a while'?"

Aomine cleared his throat. "Everyone could tell you were into someone, but after a while, it looked like it faded away. I guess this was when you started shooting people down."

"...after my foot."

Aomine nodded.

"Oh, well. Yeah. Okay, so I was obvious, but the guy I was into didn't swing my way."

Aomine rose a brow.

"He didn't. From getting to know him, he liked chicks with huge boobs and nice hips, long hair and all that shit." Kise intentionally paused. He should stop talking. He really should. He could feel himself stressing out. He really wasn't ready for this. It was going so well, building up a friendship once again wasn't as herculean a feat as he feared it would be. It was really as easy as relearning to ride a bike.

"He just was as straight as an arrow," Kise laughed. "So I got all hung up over this guy that was never going to look at me that way because he was straight and I was sorta like a squiggly line." He shrugged. "Back then I didn't have the skill to make a straight man a gay man."

"Skill."

Kise laughed and nodded. "It takes a lot of work, you know."

"I'm sure." Aomine shook his head as a smirk came onto his face. "But if you have this skill, how come you don't have whatever guy you want?"

"Ah..." Kise lolled his head from side to side. "I dunno." Liar. "I just haven't been able to get into an actual relationship that went far," he shrugged. "I guess it's really just not my thing, as nice as it is to see couples and be a couple with someone and stuff." Kise bit his tongue.

"I don't get how you're single still though. Genuinely confused by this."

"Well, I mean, I do like someone, but. Egh. I just don't know how to tell them." Kise busied himself by finishing the rest of his pizza.

Bluntly, Aomine said, "Maybe some things just need to be said instead of covered in a whole bunch of words."

Kise smiled. How he loved to hear people being blunt. Kagami, Kuroko and him. Notorious for being blunt.

A massive part of him really wanted to just tell Aomine. ___'I am an adult, aren't I?' _He asked himself. ___'I'm an adult man. I should really just grow some balls. Taiga said that I was gonna have to move on with this chapter or else I'm always gonna be stunted in this department.'_

Kise blinked—startled from Aomine snapping in his face.

"Damn, you get really into that thought thing you do," Aomine teased.

"Sorry, sorry."

"You okay?"

Kise nodded. "Aominecchi, the person I liked back then was you." He brought his drink to his lips and took a quick drink. Jeez, he really was stressed. His throat was drying faster than he could drink. The result was a cough—but he continued. "The person I like even now is you." He choked and brought a hand up to cover his mouth. That extra bit was not supposed to come out. No. Things would definitely be awkward from that, right?

___'Jesus, you don't even know if he's already taken, Ryouta,' _the blond chided himself. He lowered his head and focused on his lap. ___'Fuck.'_

"Aominecchi, I so didn't mean to say that, I'm so sorry," Kise quickly tried to do damage control in the form of mumbles from behind his mouth. "I didn't even—I just—Oh god, and all I've been doing is talking about myself this entire day and you're here on limited time and I should be the one asking you how you're doing and how you've been instead of the other way around." He covered his face. "Fuck, I'm really sorry, and if you're mad I totally understand—Jeez, I would be pissed if I were you..." He trailed as he felt a firm grip pry his hands by the wrists from his face. He didn't even have time to react as he was met with a kiss from Aomine.

"When you do that, you never really hear anything, do you, Kise?" Aomine whispered against the model's lips.

"I. No. Sorry." Kise pulled away instantly and brought a hand up to his mouth and looked down. What was that...that certainly was a kiss, wasn't it? His face was suddenly incredibly hot. Emotions. So many emotions, all at once; his heart felt as though it was going to burst.

Despite how flustered he was at the moment, he just...wanted more.

Suspiciously on cue, the owner of the place brought a pizza box and he along with Aomine put the pizza away. Aomine shook the man's hand and thanked him for his hospitality and service with a bow.

"Kise."

Kise looked up. "Yes?"

"Let's get you home, yeah?"

"Right, right. Home." The model stood and set money down on the table; a tip, obviously. "Thank you for having us all alone, Signore," Kise smiled. "You lost business because of me, probably."

The Italian man shooed them and the walk to his car was a blur.

As awful as it sounded, so was the drive to his flat.

Everything was a blur.

He was just so dazed.

This had to be a dream.

This felt like a repeat, as he sat on his couch staring into the distance as he was handed a beer.

"Thank you." Reflex. Relfex again as he brought it to his mouth and took a drink

Aomine hopped over the couch as he had seen Kise do before. "No problem."

Kise remained in his spot.

"Kise, are you mad?" Aomine looked over as the blond shook his head. "You're really out of it."

"You would be too if you were just kissed by the person you've wanted to kiss you since forever ago." Kise really was out of it.

"How come you didn't tell me this in high school?"

A quick reply. "Because I'm an idiot. But you also did have a habit of bringing around H-rags with you, so."

"...right." Aomine made a face. He wrapped an arm around Kise's shoulders and pulled him closer. He wasn't exactly sure as to how to comfort him. Being out of it in this case was a good thing, right? Kise was content that he'd been kissed. "Back then I really wasn't looking for anyone though. What teenager doesn't have that shit lying around?"

"Touche."

"If you had told me though, I would've asked you out in a second."

Kise perked up and looked over at Aomine.

"You've liked me all that time."

The model averted his gaze.

"And I've liked you all that time."

"Pfft."

"It's rude not to look at someone when they're confessing to you, Kise."

Kise stared at Aomine. There went his heart again. He was going to die from heart failure, definitely.

But. Not yet. Later.

Right now, his hand was going up to run across a toned cheek. A perfect cheek that brushed past his hand as its owner came closer. Kise met with Aomine's face, their foreheads touching. Kise felt like an idiot; how could he be feeling so shy right now? Now, of all times. He was a model. His natural state was confidence.

He followed Aomine's lead as their lips met. It was slow. Everything about this moment was slow. Lips to lips, Kise angling his head to kiss properly. The hand that was just touching Aomine's face was now dragging lithe fingers across his upper back. Kise could feel himself smile as his eyelids fluttered closed. Their kiss was deepening, and Kise couldn't be happier.

Aomine lowered his hand to the center of Kise's back, feeling at the muscles moving as the two kissed. Who could've ever thought that a kiss from Kise was this good? This deepening kiss was all the more better; he learned that the blond liked to bite during kisses. He returned the favor by biting back and pulling his lip towards him. He could hear the blond take the moment to catch his breath. Before the blond could catch his entire breath, Aomine leaned closer and inhaled, literally wanting to take Kise's breath away before kissing him once more. This kiss was deeper, and they both wanted the same thing. Kise's lips parted, and Aomine took the chance to meet Kise's tongue for the first time.

Kise was running his free hand through Aomine's dark locks, getting acquainted with the very feel of the short hair. His tongue met with Aomine's and part of him couldn't resist the urge to fight for dominance when it came to this. He felt the other's lips curl as his once did. Though, he would not be able to win. Aomine had cheated by taking his breath, and the kiss soon had to be parted.

"Holy shit," Kise whispered, remaining still as he tried to catch his breath. He opened his eyes and looked up at Aomine.

"Now I know what you meant from earlier, the kiss thing."

Kise smiled and let out a breathless laugh. "I told you." He let himself lean into Aomine's warmth once again as his body finally relaxed.

He felt truly calm.

Aomine had his arm around Kise's shoulders again, but opted to feel at the blond hair at the same time. It was still as soft as ever.

"I'm happy you came over, Aominecchi," Kise whispered.

"I'm surprised you even bothered letting me spend today with you."

"Because I'm some hot shot?" The blond's pretend egotism.

"Exactly."

"You know I wouldn't turn you away. Even if you were a massive dick since forever."

Aomine snorted. "I'm the coolest guy I know."

"Same here."

Aomine felt a chuckle rumble in his throat. How does one react to someone agreeing with your ego?

Exhaustion had finally gotten the better of Kise and fell asleep right there, leaning against Aomine's shoulder. It was the perfect ending to a day like this. Kise hadn't slept so easily or so freely in the longest time.


	6. Chapter 6

Tanned arms ran up his stomach, feeling every ripple of the blond's well-toned physique. They wrapped around him and pulled him closer to...the very body they were attached to. That firm body pressed up against his, how perfect that alone felt, he couldn't help it when his hand went to meet up with the one running up his side. It paused, letting the blond acquaint himself.

___'What a dream this is,' _Kise thought to himself in his half asleep reverie. But it was one hell of a good dream, and it felt so real, so he wasn't about to question it. His hand moved backwards to feel up this dream man his mind had conjured, running up a firm thigh, a defined hip—his fingers gripped at an even more firm ass.

"Why does my dream have such a choice ass...?" He groaned as he felt himself waking up more.

"Dreams are supposed to be what your insides want," a deep voice whispered against his ear as a hand trailed up his chest.

"Damn straight they are," Kise yawned, his other arm going to meet the hand on his chest. The realisation of what he was actually doing hit him and his eyes snapped open. He choked. "I—I mean—"

"Sleeping beauty wakes up," the deep voice continued. His arms tightened around Kise's body, holding him in place.

Kise pried at the arms as his heart-rate rose. How embarrassing—he could just die from how embarrassed he was. No, this was not happening.

"Oi, Kise, after having not seen me in so long, this is how you treat me? What a shitty way to greet a guest." Aomine yawned obnoxiously. "Last night went well, I thought."

"Aominecchi, Aominecchi—" He swallowed and cleared his throat. "I don't usually wake up like this."

"Really? The famous model?"

"I have shit luck with keeping partners, really."

A snort.

"Go ahead, have your laugh. It's not like I care."

"But you and your 'Taiga'? Does Satsuki know you guys are naked around each other like that?"

A pained laugh left his lips. How could someone say something so insulting based off an assumption like that? "I literally feel offended right now." Kise scoffed."He's just a really good friend. It's been years, so we're comfortable like that. We're not in anything together. Besides, this is America. First name everything."

"But over that call..."

"We're comfortable. As in bros in the locker room comfortable. We met each other here by chance and since I had no friends, he literally was my first real friend here. We never went out of that 'friend' thing we've had. That's just how we work."

A grunt.

"Yes, I know, he was nearly naked. But think about it: if I was actually going to date him, wouldn't I be doing that by now?"

It was quiet, and Kise sat up as Aomine's arms retracted.

"Aominecchi, why are you here, even?"

"I was invited to Kagami's all-star match."

Of course he was. He knew that. Part of him was a conceited...selfish, ass and wished that he came because it would be a chance to meet once again. But. Those were just idiotic thoughts in the end. Kise couldn't even look at his face. "Right. You and Tai—Er, Kagamicchi are still friends, huh." He let a light sigh flow through his nose. ___'But instead of going to the arena, you came to me. Sure, we kissed and everything, but.' _Was he really starting to regret this over the course of one night? The thing he had wanted most, he was really doing it. He was making himself regret everything because he couldn't grasp the concept of not doubting one's self.

"Not really. We talk about some games and shit, but it doesn't go that far. I just know whatever from the tv. I didn't know he was your friend at all. Then again, I never really bothered to ask."

Ouch. "Aha, yeah, we've been friends for a while now, yeah. Yep. Yes. Just friends." The memories of last night flooded back into his head as his heart conjured feelings of regret. None of this was a dream. It was a very real reality he was a part of. Did he really want this? If he did, why was he doing this to himself? "Regardless, it's nice to see you, you know, after such a long time."

"You too."

___'Before he leaves, I should show some respect and get to know him. This shouldn't be about me. It should be about him, right? It's been years and we're already getting sour because of...I don't even know what.' _What should he even ask about though? Why was this so hard to reciprocate?

"What've you been up to after high school? You said you had a lowkey life, but you never mentioned your actual job." Kise asked, lying on his stomach, his attention completely on Aomine.

"Basketball...?"

"Dumb question." An awkward laugh left his lips. "I'm surprised you didn't join Tai—Kagamicchi when he was scouted for the NBA. You're NBA level."

"Eh. It was whatever. I didn't want to move here and not know anything."

"Hah. I feel you there." Kise averted his gaze. "It took me a while to learn. Not a fun experience, honestly."

"Why America?"

Kise blinked at the sudden question. "America...Well, it's easier for me to get contracts here. Most of my fanbase is here, all the opportunity is here and I mean...I just...I didn't really have anything tying me to Japan anymore." A more pathetic laugh. "It's not like I can just meet up with the old team and play basketball whenever I want to."

Aomine nodded. His eyes were trained on the ceiling. "Have you tried?"

"Tons of times." A ghost of a smile was on his face. "I hurt myself more each time. If Kagamicchi wasn't around, who knows when I would be found. I tried so hard one time, I gave myself the worst sprain."

"He's on that list you have?"

"Hm? Oh. To get onto my floor?" Kise nodded. "Yeah. Since it's...well, you know, my job. Not just anyone is allowed into this building, so."

"Right."

Kise planted his face into his mattress. This was so awkward. How had this taken an entire flip? They were laughing and joking around nearly all day yesterday, and now it was heavy and suffocating. Who cared about who was on his list or not anyway? He was on it now, right? Not that it mattered or anything, since he was going to be leaving...at some point.

"I'm a boring ass cop, by the way." Aomine seemed so blasé about it.

The model furrowed his brow and lifted his face off the mattress. "A what."

"I know. Not basketball related."

"A policeman though." Kise tilted his head. "I never would've thought...I honestly thought that basketball would be the route you would go."

"Surprise, I guess."

"...yeah. I guess." The blond laughed awkwardly. "You were my favorite basketball player ever, hands down."

Aomine snorted yet again. "Was I."

"Of couse. Aominecchi was always the coolest guy ever. Calm and collected on the court. You knew every move you were gonna make because you were confident that you were going to win." The model offered a smile to the other. Maybe if he made the situation light, the awkwardness would just dissipate on its own.

Maybe.

Just maybe.

But it didn't.

Aomine wasn't much of a conversationalist. He wasn't giving Kise much to reply back to, if anything. His replies were closed or nonexistent. Honey-colored eyes scanned over the other's profile in an attempt to read him again. Just once more, like he used to.

A pained smirk made itself visible as he realised just how much he ___didn't _know Aomine anymore. A chuckle blew through his nose as he buried his face into the mattress once more.

"What is it?"

"I'm not friends with you anymore."

Aomine's brow furrowed as he rolled onto his side to look at the blond better. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

Kise's jaw was clenched.

"Oi. Kise."

"I'm not. Nothing's the same. It doesn't feel the same anymore."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It does though," Kise kept his face buried into the sheets. He could feel this awkwardness eat at him. He had admitted his feelings, and Aomine had admitted his in his own subtle way...they both liked each other from ages ago and it had come out, so Kise should be happy about everything.

He was happy, yes. Happy, but what was this other colder feeling? What was this extra sensation? Dread? What did he already start dreading when this chapter was—Oh right.

It was a new chapter.

This was the next step. He had chosen a route and this was the next bit. And he was on his own with this one. No Kagami to offer wise advice like he usually did. No Kagami to slap some sense into him. Christ, he was going to give himself a panic attack in due time, what, with the way he was going. He could feel his breathing picking up, his skin felt cold—He was actually scared of what came next.

This was the feeling. What was there to be so scared about though? Aomine was still technically the same person, he had just moved on and grown up as did Kise. But they were still attracted to each other. So long as the two of them both worked at it, they would work, right?

Right?

The blond felt his back muscles tense as Aomine's fingers pressed against him. "Kise. You're not hearing me again. You really need to control that habit."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you okay? Your breathing got...crazy."

"Yes, yes. I'm fine."

Aomine sighed.

"Can I continue? You said that us being the same as we used to meant everything."

"Because it does, Aominecchi. It really does. We were really good friends—and I just..."

Aomine sighed and rolled his eyes. He slid his other hand under the blond's face to cover his mouth. "It doesn't mean anything. Let me talk for once."

Kise stopped his fidgeting and merely nodded.

"There was a guy I knew in high school. He looked just like you. He was blond and had the nicest eyes. They were like honey. His hair and eyes matched perfectly. He modeled for fun and everyone wanted him. Hell, even I wanted him. But, he went to a rival school. Kaijou. He was their jersey number seven for...not even a year. Something horrible happened and he couldn't play anymore. I'm pretty sure that idiot was heartbroken. You could tell how heartbroken he was because he stayed away. He left basketball, he left everyone and everything that came to him from it behind." Aomine paused and let out a loud sigh. "No one really knew why, but at the same time, everyone felt like they did know. That guy just wanted to heal himself and forget everything so that it wouldn't hurt. If he kept those things and friends, they would be constant reminders of what he used to have."

Aomine turned Kise to face him. Kise's eyes were open, and they searched his face for some sort of reasoning for what Aomine was saying.

"That Kise doesn't exist anymore."

Kise stared.

"This Kise is the Kise that the other Kise became."

___Oh._

"Aominecchi, I—"

He was shushed. "You're just lost. You trapped yourself in this memory from years ago and got so wrapped up in it that you forgot how to get out, idiot. You're not a teenager anymore. You're a grownass man."

___And here I thought you were going to continue being all wise and shit._

Kise just remained silent.

"You can speak."

"...but that friendship."

Aomine sighed and brought his hand from Kise's back to his face; rubbing at it with a massive amount of pressure. It looked near painful as his skin pulled and stretched.

"Ryouta." He then said.

"Yes."

"Ryouta, I don't want to be friends with you. Because being friends with you would trap me in that area. I want more than that."

"...More than..."

"Are you seriously ___that_ dumb blond model now, because if you are, we're going to have some fucking problems."

"N-No—I just—I'm...I'm just..."

"Sentences, Kise."

"Right, right. Sorry." The blond quieted.

And it remained quiet for a bit longer.

"Do I need to spell shit out for you?"

"It would be nice."

"I want you."

"I want you also."

"Then why are you making things so complicated when they don't have to be?"

"Because I'm really stupid." Kise sighed as he let his eyes slip closed.

"...Well you said it."

"You're not supposed to agree." The blond drew closer to Aomine. "You're supposed to tell me that I'm not stupid; that I'm the smartest guy you've ever known."

"But then I'd be lying."

"Ahominecchi." Kise pushed at the other, shoving him from the bed. "You stay there."

"Hai, hai." Aomine instantly folded his hands behind his head and effectively made himself comfortable.

Kise peeked from over the bed. "You're not actually staying there, are you?"

"You just said—"

"You're such a dick, really." Kise buried his face into the sheets.

"Kise."

"Hm?"

"Let me be your boyfriend."

"Pfft—" The sound was muffled by the mass of sheets.

It grew quiet again, sans the sound of Aomine shifting his weight. Curiosity couldn't be fought and the blond lifted his head, only to be met with a kiss from Aomine. It wasn't longer than a second, and Aomine quickly pulled away.

"Wait, give me another one," Kise said, trying to crane his neck enough to reach those lips.

"Give me an answer."

The blond felt his face burn. It was both embarrassing and nice to feel. "I would love it if you were," he mumbled, trying to hide his face.

"I thought you wanted a kiss?"

His head perked. "I do, I do."

Aomine closed the distance between them again. To make it worth their while, he took his time with it.

"Wow you're a really good kisser," Kise whispered against Aomine's lips.

"Do you know who I am?" Another kiss.

Kise smiled at the line.

"Also, what's your plan? Are you going to kill Kagami and Satsuki?"

"Hmm, I wanted to kill Taiga, earlier. Like, yesterday, because he didn't tell me you were coming and he knew the way I felt."

"And?"

"But I can't be mad at him now."

"Damn."

"You wanted me to be mad?"

"Well yeah, it sounds hilarious."

"Aominecchi, you're horrible."

"Daiki."

Kise let his eyes flutter open. A smirk crawled onto his face. "Is it because I call him Taiga."

"No. I'm in America. First name shit, you know."

"Maybe I can just call you 'Dai-chan'. Or some cutesy shit." Kise laughed and pulled away, sitting up on his bed and raising his arms. A loud groan left him as his muscles were all woken up by the pulling.

"Maybe I can find a different boyfriend." Aomine was leaning onto the bed and yawning.

"Or I could just call you 'Dick'."


End file.
